RSV

Fiona started getting sick on Friday and by Saturday she was down for the count. She had a horrible cough and gnarly sounding lungs. Her nose was runny and she started running a pretty good fever. We immediately started alternating Tylenol and Ibuprofen to keep any seizure episodes at bay. Sunday she seemed to be feeling a little better, but still very ill. (A huge thank you to my parents for keeping Lily and Eoghan over night so I can focus on my poor little one! Love you guys!) It's now Monday and she's still running a fever in addition to all of the other symptoms and has started breaking out with fever blisters all over her mouth.

We decided enough was enough and made a doctor's appointment. On the way in to see the doc, I needed gas...and did you know it's the coldest flipping day of the year?!? So I'm getting gas and Fiona is screaming so loud that everyone pumping gas could hear her! Instead of going to the clinic, we went to the emergency room. Wouldn't you know it, as soon as we get there, she's suddenly fine! She's twirling around the ER, schmoozing every person she comes in contact with.

We get back to see the doctor and I have to convince them she really was sick before we got there!! After checking her out, the doc decides she wants to get a chest x-ray and strep culture. No strep, x-ray showed some streaks in the lungs, but not pneumonia. She ordered a nebulizer treatment and some Tylenol. Before the neb got to us, Fiona fell asleep in my arms. I mean knocked out. Of course, the nurse comes in and wants me to wake her up. I thought maybe she'd sleep through it, but instead she freaked out and it threw her into a sleep terror. I'm talking freaking the hell out, super human strength, two grown women trying to hold her down. Then once that was done, we had to do it again to give her the Tylenol. So now Fi is having one hell of an episode...freaking out, crying, screaming. The doc saw what was going on and we discussed her having them the past few months. (My friends on FB probably remember the seizure or night terror discussion the last month in November?) She suggested that I talk to our regular doc because it's gone on for so long...there's a step in the right direction there AND a medical professional also witnessed it happening. Anywho, after a good half hour Fiona finally calms down enough to take some steroid to help with the inflammation in her lungs. She goes to sleep and sleeps hard while her fever starts creeping back up. The doc waited and watched and was worried. The nurse came back in and we woke Fi up to get a sample to test for flu (which I found out that you test snot that you suck out of the child's nose with this crazy get up...NASTY! I about threw up all over Fiona lol). Fiona was now awake and functioning at her mostly normal level. By this point, I'd been at the hospital for 6 hours and I hadn't eaten all day. I was tired, hungry and grumpy...I had to page the nurse station for someone to bring in our discharge papers after waiting another 45 minutes. Finally we're out of there (with after care instructions and a nebulizer and meds and a promise from the doc to call as soon as she got the test results back for the flu) and headed to my mom's to pick up the other kids, where I get the call that Fiona doesn't have flu, she has RSV! I'm a little relieved, since she's out of the age range for real danger, as opposed to the flu where so many have died already this flu season including kids.

We're now home and Fiona had another neb treatment, which is basically like giving a kid crack. She can't sleep because she's wired...and I'm ready to pass out. It's been a truly exhausting weekend. Fortunately, I've been through this crap before with Lily and Eoghan...like I told my friend...If I can handle 2 children under age 2 with RSV, I can handle little Fiona. :)

Good luck to everyone...keep your family healthy!!